The Shadows We Chase
by SunnyStorms
Summary: Lily Luna Potter was a girl on a mission and wasn't about to let anything or anyone get in her way. But when her scheming revolves around the enigmatic Malfoy heir, she ends up with much more than she ever bargained for, and it might just end up breaking her heart, if it doesn't kill her first. -Won for Best Drama and was a Judge's Pick for the HPFC Fic Exchange- Now expanded on.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **For those who read this on the HPFC fic exchange, you have several more chapters beyond the original seven to look forward to as I had to cut it off due to time constraints even before I'd gotten to the real climax I'd planned for the story. I'll get the chapters posted as they get revised and beta-read.

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**-Chapter 1-**

One minute. She let him out of her sight for only a minute and look what happened.

"Perkins, you put him down this instant if you know what's good for you!"

"Well, what have we here? Needing a girl to protect you, Malfoy? How pathetic."

"For the love of—Get lost, Potter. _Now._"

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at the livid, pale blond boy floating upside-down before her. "Riiight, because you're obviously handling this _so_ well on your own."

Grey eyes like sharpened steel glared back at her, but the full effect was tempered by his ignominious position with gravity wreaking havoc on his normally impeccable hair and robes.

"Mind your own business," he bit out through clenched teeth.

She ignored him and turned instead to face Perkins and his sniggering goons.

It was time to end this.

Lily raised her wand menacingly in the direction of the smug Gryffindors and smirked with satisfaction at the unease that immediately flitted through their eyes. Several instinctively touched their hand to their nose, no doubt reminded of the infamous hex she'd learned from her mother. With Uncle George's help, she'd perfected a way to cast it in en masse, which had often proved a necessary skill these last several weeks. Few could match Scorpius Malfoy in a duel, so instead they tended to gang up on him.

"I'm not going to ask again. Let him down, _gently_."

Perkins' squashed face sneered at Malfoy before glancing back and grinning at her. "No need, princess. We've had our fun. You can have him now, little Potter."

She seethed. "Do not call me _little_."

He ignored her and swished his wand, turning Malfoy sideways in the air, and lowered him until he was a foot from the ground. With a quick snap of Perkins' wrist, Malfoy crashed to the floor.

The hex left her wand before anyone even blinked an eye. She turned from the boy puking up slugs to offer Malfoy a hand. He glared up at her and pushed her hand aside as he leapt to his feet. Without another word, he took off down the hallway.

She sighed. _You would think it would kill him to offer even a small word of thanks. _Of course, it wasn't for his gratitude that she was watching out for him, but still, some acknowledgement would have been nice. The bloke remained cold as an ice block despite her helping him out just about several dozen times this year alone.

Something clattered at her feet, jolting Lily from her thoughts. She glanced down and spotted a polished ebony wand—Malfoy's. Concurrently, someone had cast the counter spell so that Perkins finally had his mouth freed of slugs to speak.

"Do your brothers know you're running around defending a Malfoy?" he sneered at her.

She'd never quite understood the animosity certain students and their families still held against the Malfoys. Hadn't they all been acquitted in the war trials? But even if they hadn't, it was ridiculous to place the blame on someone who hadn't even existed when that whole war went on.

She twirled her wand and smirked when Perkins and his goons reflexively stepped back. "It's called loyalty to my House. Got a problem with that? And honestly, five on one? You put Gryffindor to shame." Without waiting for their responses, she bent to pick up the ebony wand before taking off in Malfoy's direction, leaving his assailants behind, still scrambling for their rebuttals.

_Idiots._

And damn if she was going to let a bunch of idiots ruin it for her.

Lily found him again easily, even though Malfoy had been nowhere to be seen in the hallways. She'd not only memorized his schedule by now, but all his usual and not-so-usual haunts as well. This time it was one of the towers which used to be a classroom, judging by the dusty state of the desks and chairs piled on one side of the room. It was a well lit space with windows all along the circular wall.

She heard glass shattering over and over again with steady timing before she rounded the last turn in the winding staircase and saw him from the doorway. He sat against the wall, chucking a glass ball at the narrow space between two windows on the opposite side. Upon breaking apart, the ball swiftly reformed and leapt back into his hand, only to be thrown again, striking the exact same spot every time.

She walked over to him and held out his wand, but he continued to ignore her, his eyes glued to the point where glass shattered against stone.

Throw, crash, catch. Throw, crash, catch.

Impatiently, she dropped the wand into his lap and spoke with an exaggerated, sarcastic drawl, "Why thank you, Lily. Thank you for saving me from yet again having to fish my wand from a toilet in the girl's bathroom. How could I _ever_ repay you?"

The ball was once more caught in his hand, but at last he lowered it to the floor while looking back up at her. "Your help was never needed," he replied coolly.

"Could have fooled me—what with the hanging helplessly in midair and all."

He scowled and snapped his head away from her, a sudden flush to his cheeks.

_It couldn't be._

Before he could resume his throwing, she stepped into his way and leaned in to inspect his face more closely. "Are you _blushing_?" she asked gleefully.

Grey eyes once again caught hers. "What? Absolutely not!"

"There's no need to be embarrassed, you know. Everyone knows you could wipe the floor with any of them in a fair fight instead of being ambushed six to one. Heck, you _might _even be a match for me."

A corner of his mouth tugged slightly upwards as if in a smile but then reverted so quickly she couldn't be sure she hadn't imagined it. In the next second, he shoved a hand through his still messy hair and glared exasperatedly up at her. "First off, there's no way I'd lose to a fourth-year girl, but that's irrelevant. I can't believe I even have to say this, but for the love of Merlin, leave me alone. I'll even pay you to do it. Just name your price."

The I'm-at-my-wits-end was a rather good look on him, she decided. Lily grinned back at him and dramatically placed a splayed hand on her heart. "Why Malfoy, I'm not that type of girl. I just can't be bought."

He glowered at her and uttered something incoherent, which she suspected was a choice curse word or two, before speaking audibly again. "For the hundredth time already, why are you doing this?"

She sat down cross-legged from him and replied cheerfully, "I already told you the last hundred times. I'm just looking out for a fellow housemate. There's no need to be so hostile."

He narrowed his eyes at her but remained silent. Just when she thought he wasn't going to bother to respond as usual, he finally muttered, "It's hard to tell with you."

"Tell what?"

"Whether you actually have something up your sleeves or if you're just plain nutter. I'm leaning towards the latter."

She couldn't quite believe it. Was Malfoy actually taking a dig at her? She was so used to him ignoring her ninety percent of the time with the other ten spent telling her harshly to go away. It made for a dreadfully boring time tracking him. When trouble wasn't finding him, all she ever found him doing was studying or practicing Quidditch, reticent as a rock. She couldn't have picked a duller target to hang around if she tried.

Eager to see how he'd respond, she quipped right back. "If I'm crazy for wanting to help a fellow Slytherin, then even you must be mad by your own standards."

To her amusement, he scoffed at her. "Trust me, your madness is leagues beyond anyone else with all of your 'wanting to help' by sticking to me like a bleeding parasite. That and your slew of other mad acts."

She raised her eyebrow in challenge. "And what might those be?"

He matched her with an eyebrow raise of his own. "Where to even begin? How about running naked through the school grounds and skinny dipping in the lake while playing out some pagan ritual for the moon goddess?"

Her mouth opened and closed in rapid succession, at a loss for words. How had he known? Had he—? After several floundering seconds, she managed to gasp out, "First off, it was a dare. But more importantly, you were _watching_ me?"

Twin pink spots appeared on his cheeks, but his reply oozed nonchalance. "Of course not. How was I supposed to know the blur streaking across the grounds was even human at first? You don't have to worry. It was too dark to see much anyway." Briefly, his eyes flicked up and down her body. "Not that there would have been much to see," he added offhandedly.

She reflexively crossed her arms, feeling strangely naked under his disinterested gaze, all the while feeling her cheeks burn at his dismissal.

His remarks hit dead home. Every year she prayed for womanhood to grant her even a fraction of her mother's voluptuous figure, but alas she remained flat as a plank. Rigorous Quidditch training probably wasn't doing her any good in that aspect either. But hell, this was Malfoy. She didn't give a flying horse about what he thought of her.

Promptly, her humiliation cooled, and she smirked at him instead. "I wouldn't be talking, you pale skinny arse."

Instead of the scowl she expected from him as per usual, he surprised her again by smirking right back. The expression was positively transformative on his normally stony face. "Spend a lot of time looking at my arse do you?"

"Why would I when there's nothing to look at?" She returned the disinterested once-over he'd given her. Unfortunately, the difference was that internally she had to admit he wasn't half-bad looking. He'd inherited his father's coloring, but the sharp features she'd seen on the elder Malfoy were softened on Scorpius, likely from his mother's contribution. If he had a better personality, she didn't doubt that girls would be swarming over him. Really was a shame for good looks to be wasted so.

When his scowl made a reappearance, she couldn't help but laugh. "Your rebuttal skills are sorely lacking, Malfoy. You're welcome to stop being such a recluse and practice them on me anytime."

"Nutter. Completely nutter. That's what you are," he threw at her before exiting the room, but she didn't fail to notice that the angry tension in his posture had dissipated, and for once, though he pushed on ahead, he wasn't walking a mile a minute with those long legs to immediately get away from her.

She didn't know what had brought on the change with just now being arguably the longest exchange they'd ever had. Maybe she had simply worn him down. Regardless, she would take it. Sure beat following an uncommunicative, sullen boy around. Not that that deterred her in the first place.

Lily Luna Potter was a girl on a mission, and she wasn't about to let anything or anyone get in her way. The end goal was in sight. Only a few weeks more.

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**Author Notes:** Comments, suggestions, or any constructive feedback you have to offer would be lovely to hear. :) I hope you'll enjoy the story. Thank you to cherryredxx for the beta-reading!

_-Written for xThe Painted Lady (previously UnleashTheSnitch114)-_

Pairing: Lily Luna Potter/Scorpius Malfoy  
Rating: Nothing above T  
Must-haves: Takes place at Hogwarts, Slytherin!Lily, later Hogwarts years.  
No-No's: No unrequited-ness please, Crackfic/Parody.  
Bonus Points: Protective!James and Albus, either one of Lily's brothers walking in on her and Scorpius snogging.

I also tried to incorporate her preference for Scorpius' characterization, but with some tweaking to fit the plot.

"Seems quiet, almost shy, but not from being a shy soul. The Malfoys are not a well-loved family, as Scorpius is well-aware. After numerous childhood adventures involving people shouting at him and threatening him out of nowhere, including one that did not end well, he is quite glad to keep his head down and study alone. However, he also won't stand by when others are being unjustly attacked."

Image Credit: Two photos I used for the story cover are courtesy of sattva and anekoho at freedigitalphotos.


	2. Chapter 2

**-Chapter 2-**

"Lily, got a moment?"

"Actually, Albus, I don't. Sorry, but I got to run. Catch you at dinner!" She wasn't sure what her brother Albus was doing waiting outside the Charms classroom right as class ended when she was sure he should've had class on the other side of the castle, but that was quickly filed under trivial matters. She had a much bigger concern at the moment.

"Lily, wait!"

She briskly ran on. "Later!" she threw over her shoulder seconds before crashing into a solid body. Quick hands stabilized her before she tumbled to the floor. She glanced up in thanks and met the inquisitive gaze of her eldest brother's bright amber eyes.

"Easy there, little sis. Where are you going in such a hurry? Classes just ended for the day."

Lily attempted to shrug his hands off her shoulders, but he only held on tighter. She glared at him. "Let me go, James. I have things I need to do."

"_Things_ is it? Does that include rushing off to see a certain someone?"

The glower that shadowed his eyes gave her pause.

"Out with it, Lils. It's Malfoy, isn't it?" His eyes darkened even further as he spoke.

For a brief moment, she stared back at him in bemusement before realization clicked. "Oh Merlin, James. That's ridiculous, but whatever, it's none of your business, anyway. Let me go, _now_."

"If I thought Derek wasn't good enough for you, what made you think—"

She kicked him sharply in the shin. When he hissed and released her, she spun out of his reach.

"Bloody hell, Lily."

"You're not the boss of me," she flung back at him. "Stop trying to be one. It's obnoxious."

Just then Albus caught up to them, panting for breath as he jogged the last few steps.

"You too, Albus?" she asked with a defiant raise of her eyebrow.

"Don't be like that. You know we're only looking out for you," he said between gulps of air.

She threw her hands up in frustration. "For Merlin's sake, I'm almost fifteen! I don't need you to babysit me. Just stop."

James opened his mouth, but Albus, likely sensing the impending escalation, hurriedly cut in. "Lily, please. There're…things we overheard about Dad's work over the break."

"What things?"

He shook his head. "We weren't supposed to know, and Dad's sworn us to secrecy. Just know that it's too risky for you to get involved with a family like Malfoy's. We don't want you to get hurt. Unlike someone"—he paused to look pointedly at James—"I know what's being said are just rumors, but all the same, please promise us you won't interact with Malfoy anymore than strictly necessary. I know you can't entirely help it with him being in your House and all."

While James's challenging gaze would have spurred her on, it was impossible to snap back at Albus's pleading green eyes—their father's eyes. Anyway, she was losing precious time. It was best to take the honey way out for now. With an exaggerated sigh of resignation, she promised Albus she'd do just as he asked.

James continued to stare at her skeptically while Albus was evidently relieved.

"Well, if you're done hounding me, dear brothers, I really do have to go." Without waiting for their reply either way, she spun on her heels and dashed down the hall. Oh yes, of course she'd keep her promise to interact with Malfoy only as strictly as necessary. And there was little more necessary in her life at the moment than winning that Quidditch championship.

She descended the stairs down into the dungeons just as the first wave of students rolled upwards. Keeping an eye out for a platinum-blond head, she continued the rest of the way to the Potions classroom. A pair of sixth-year Slytherin girls trickled out of the classroom door as she neared and smirked knowingly when they caught sight of her.

"He's in the backroom talking to Slughorn," said Matilda Higgs, the petite blond of the pair.

Her long-legged, brunette counterpart, Ariana Pucey, added disdainfully, "Really, Potter, you're doing it wrong. Don't you know that _boys_ are supposed to do the chasing? Guess there are limits to which money and fame can buy class."

The pair tittered falsely as they walked past her while Lily rolled her eyes at the overused slur. She wasn't one to let an insult slide. One couldn't survive four years of rooming with Slytherin girls by always taking the higher ground. Her mother had worried initially, but later complimented Lily on being tougher emotionally than she had been at that age. However, Slytherin females were a dogged bunch, and while Lily didn't doubt she would win, she couldn't afford to be distracted by another catty prank war at the moment. The girls in her year knew better by now than to mess with her, but hanging around Malfoy had her brushing up against the sixth-years more often as of late. Her goal, though, was easily worth having to delay her personal revenges. So she let the girls leave without so much as a discreetly cast hex as she leaned against the stone wall by the door, resigned to wait for Malfoy.

She'd half expected him to figure out her motive by now because it was a rather simple one. Maybe it had crossed his mind as a possibility but was dismissed because he couldn't believe she'd go through all that effort just to win a game. He was an only child after all. What would he know of sibling rivalries to recognize the extent to which a championship win over Gryffindor would mean for her?

She knew others would think her silly for caring so much, but what did they know about always being known as someone else's child or little sister? Her father's fame and her brothers' resemblance to him made it a hundred times worse. For a long while now, she knew she would have to fight for it, fight to be seen as herself on her own merits. Even her own name reminded people more of war heroes than of her. The coming Gryffindor-Slytherin match that was to determine the year's Quidditch champions was a golden opportunity to prove herself—one that might never come again.

Albus's brains and prowess at academics was something she could never hope to match, even if she wanted to. Quidditch, however, was her passion, her love, and of course it had to be where her brother James dominated with the freak Seeker ability he'd inherited from her father. It almost seemed at times as if James didn't even have to find the Snitch; it found _him_.

This year was to be James' last, and if Slytherin failed again to clinch the Championship, then she might never get the chance to be on the same playing field with him again. Fascinated with their father's line of work, James wasn't interest in pursuing a professional Quidditch career as she was. If she couldn't lead her team to outshine his this one last time, she could already imagine what the media and the public would say down the line even if her team managed to win the World Championship one day. Unbidden, the nightmare scenario played out in her mind.

_It's the World Championship Finals, and the Quaffle is in her hand. The mounting pressure builds to a fevered pitch as she feints left, dodging a Bludger by millimeters. She spies the opening and feints right. The Keeper takes the bait, and she pulls her arm back before launching the Quaffle with everything she has. The packed stadium holds its collective breath. The Keeper dives for it, his hands straining towards the red leather ball, but it is too late. His cries of frustration are drowned out by the thunderous roar of thousands of fans. Seconds later, her team loses out on the Snitch, but they are so far ahead in points that it doesn't matter. Around the Wizarding World, the Wireless rapidly relays the news._

"_WWN's Quidditch Correspondent here: England's team, led by Lily Potter—daughter of the famed Harry Potter as you all well know—has just played a heart-pounding game that secured them the world title today. I'll tell you what, Quidditch talent sure does run in the Potter family. Her mother used to play for the Holyhead Harpies, and it's well known that her brother, James Potter, had a phenomenal, flawless record as a Seeker during his school years that surpassed even his dad's famed Quidditch feats. Young James led his House team at Hogwarts to victory year after year, even when facing teams with powerhouse Chasers like his sister—capable of outscoring the opposing team to the point of rendering the Snitch's capture irrelevant. Imagine how unstoppable England's national team would be had he chosen to pursue Quidditch professionally."_

Lily physically recoiled from the mental scene, silently cursing her vivid imagination. Just thinking of the possible outcome left a bitter taste of frustration in her mouth. If it ever became reality…No, they had to win this year. Lily Potter would be remembered as the Chaser who outshone one of the best Seekers in Hogwarts' history. She'd make sure of it.

"Well, that's a surprise. Did your supply of Euphoria Elixirs finally run out?"

She blinked her eyes, drawing back from her thoughts to focus on the speaker.

Staring back at her with a slight amused quirk of his lips was Malfoy_—_the person unfortunately central to her plan. Since it was almost guaranteed that James would catch the Snitch, Slytherins' only chance at winning was to outscore Gryffindor before the game ended. They could do it, but she wasn't so foolish and prideful that she believed they could pull it off without Malfoy. As a pair of Chasers, they'd been phenomenal together almost right from the start. It was rather strange how effortlessly they worked together on the pitch, even when they'd barely interacted otherwise, but why question a good thing? The problem was—and had been for the past three years in which Slytherin lost—Malfoy never got to play in the final match.

Her first year at Hogwarts, he got suspended from playing for retaliating to Perkins and his goons' antics. The second year, a prank went horribly wrong and left him incapacitated for the match. Last year, he got locked in a broom closet with Everlasting Glue, and no one could find him until the game was over. The pattern was evident, and her solution had finally been to do her utter best to guard him at every possible moment. It was and continued to be a beast and a half trying to keep him out of trouble. All the more because he fought her every bit of the way for interfering and did his best to avoid her like the plague.

She couldn't even imagine how much more difficult he'd make the task for her if he ever figured out her motivation behind it, but her determination had always been tenacious while the need for a few discreet tracking charms hardly ruffled her conscience. He fought her efforts less now, she noted, probably having resigned himself to her meddling, like how instead of taking advantage of her being lost in her thoughts to bolt right away as he would've done before, here he was still standing before her. As she stared back, his expression changed from barely perceptible amusement to faint confusion.

He waved a hand in her face when she didn't respond right away. "Hello, earth to Potter...Is something wrong?" He looked almost concerned, which would have been a first.

She shook her head, partly in answer and partly to clear the remnants of her unhappy thoughts from earlier. "No, nothing. Why do you ask? And also, what were you talking about? I'm not taking any potion."

"It was obviously a joke, Potter. You're awfully slow on the uptake today. I was referring to how you're not nearly as chirpy as usual. "

She crossed her arms jauntily. "It's not my fault your joke was so bad it couldn't be recognized as one."

"Well, that didn't take long. Looks like you're back to your usual self, snarkiness and all." Without another word, he turned and walked down the corridor.

She quickly ran after. "Hey, it's rude to just leave like that."

He glanced back at her over his shoulder but kept walking. "What else should I have said? 'Goodbye' is useless as you'll be tagging along anyway."

She huffed in exasperation, but let the subject drop. "What did you have to discuss with Slughorn anyway? That took _ages_."

"Why did you even wait? You're acting as if…"

"As if?"

"Never mind."

"You still haven't answered my other question."

"Oh? Like you answer mine? And anyway, it's—"

"—none of my bloody business yada yada yada," she filled in for him with a roll of her eyes.

They walked on without talking, climbing the stairs up from the dungeon. To her surprise, he didn't continue upwards to the library as per usual, but turned to head outside instead.

"Where are you going? We don't have the pitch today."

"You don't need the pitch to fly."

She certainly wasn't going to question this rare moment of spontaneity. Flying sure as heck beat having to sit in the library until dinner to keep an eye on him. They lapsed into further silence as they trekked across Hogwarts' lawn towards the Quidditch locker rooms where their flying gear was stowed.

Something bothered her as they walked along, and after a little while, she finally pinpointed it to be the silence; the silence had an awkward weight to it that didn't exist before. Maybe it was because he'd always been steadfastly ignoring her, which she'd expected from him and accepted readily, but now…? She wasn't sure why, but it suddenly felt like the type of silence that one wants to fill up with words but can't figure out what to say.

The moment passed when they finally got to the locker rooms, and she once more held the polished weight of her broom in her hand, feeling herself instantly being re-centered and put at ease.

"The pitch's free right now. Want to throw a Quaffle around?" she asked as they exited out onto the grassy field, dressed only in the loose black trousers and long-sleeve vest of their practice gear. Gryffindor had the pitch today, but their practice wasn't scheduled to start until an hour later.

Malfoy shook his head. "No. Just fly. Think you can keep up?"

Before she could reply, he had already taken off.

"Like you even had to ask!" she yelled after him as she swung onto her broom. Responding instantly to her touch, her beloved Firebolt shot to the skies like a lit firecracker, close on Malfoy's tail.

He flew more aggressively today than she had ever seen him done before. The tight material of his vest accentuated the slimness of his torso as he bent low over his sleek Nimbus. Her muscles strained to catch up with him, the wind like needles on her skin, but eventually she pulled even with him. They flew side by side at breakneck speed for several yards before he dove into an intricate series of loops, and she responded with her own series of stunts. Then, somehow, without either speaking a word, they began rising together in a spiral upwards, higher and higher as if daring the other to stop first.

"Better slow down," she finally shouted when Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest were but blurs of color beneath them, all other details indistinguishable. "We'll hit the barrier soon."

A blast of wind swallowed his laugh. "You would know, wouldn't you? I remember the incident."

She felt heat flush her cheeks. "I was eleven, alright? How was I supposed to know?"

"Eleven and utterly fearless and reckless. Are you still that way?"

She scoffed. "I'm up here with you, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are," he said, again with that barely perceptible upward quirk of his lips before casting his gaze downwards.

She watched him scan the distant ground below them, grey eyes glinting with a light she knew all too well. Funny how, despite all the differences between them and their family, there was still this one thing they apparently had in common. "It's the same for you, isn't it?"

He looked back up in question.

She gestured around and below them. "Why we love this, live for it…the exhilaration of the flight, the rush, the recklessness of it all. It makes you feel—"

"Invincible," he finished for her. "Like nothing can touch you. Like everything that's bothering you on earth simply falls away." He spoke so softly, she wondered if he'd meant to say it out loud at all, so she merely nodded in response and joined him in looking out at the sprawling landscape so far below.

"Feel better now?"

Her head snapped up in surprise. "What made you think I was feeling bad in the first place?"

"You're just as terrible a liar as you are at hiding your emotions."

"_Or_ you're just bad at reading me, but whatever. It's a moot point as flying always makes me feel better regardless of my starting mood."

He didn't say anything more but merely nodded with an annoying knowing look in his eyes. Well, two could play at that.

"You needed the flight too, didn't you?"

The slightly widening grey eyes confirmed her guess and piqued her interest. _Wonder what's bothering him._ It had to be something different than the usual to prompt a spontaneous flight. Scorpius Malfoy didn't do spontaneity.

But she knew better than to try and get the reason from him. "Don't worry. I won't ask because I know you won't answer," she said, cutting him off before he could barely open his mouth to protest.

The end of her statement was muffled by a strong gust of wind that blew half of her hair into her face. She shoved it back, annoyed that she'd forgotten a hair tie. The wind changed direction and blew directly at her front, lifting entire strands of her mid-back length hair up and away from her neck.

She looked back from wrestling with her hair to find Malfoy staring at her with an indefinable expression. His attention seemed to be simultaneously fixated on her and yet not at all. She snapped her fingers at him, and he appeared to shake himself to alertness before quickly looking away from her.

_I never took him for a daydreamer_, she thought with amusement.

Around them, clouds at the horizons had begun to bleed into the dusky colors of sunset. That and her own growling stomach signaled that they should probably head to dinner.

"Last one to the ground is a fat Flobberworm!" she shouted with a smirk before angling her broom into a steep dive.

She couldn't tell who won as the speed of their descent sent both tumbling off their broom and onto the grass when they neared the ground. Eventually she ended up on her back, looking up at the darkening sky. The adrenaline still rushing through her veins left her giddy enough to burst out laughing. Come to think of it. When was the last time she had a chance to just unwind and have fun? She hoped this more amicable version of Malfoy was here to stay. For one, it would make the task before her so much less a chore.

"I don't see what's so funny about being sore all over. You flew like a demon."

"Ah, but it's the good kind of soreness. Don't you agree?"

She heard a half-choking noise and looked over at him. By then he'd already sprung to his feet. For a moment he looked down at her, wind-blown hair falling in messy streaks across his forehead. He seemed hesitant before finally extending a hand out to her.

"We should go," he said.

She took his hand warily, prepared for it to be retracted at any moment, but he closed his fingers solidly around hers. It was a callous-roughened hand like hers from years of Quidditch practice, but its size swallowed hers up. As he pulled her upwards without a misstep, she could feel the pure male strength in his grip in contrast with the unbelievably soft skin of the back of his hand.

When he released her after she'd gotten to her feet, she felt ten kinds of funny.

_Okay, Lily Potter. Snap out of it._

Though it was probably best not to question his sudden bout of friendliness towards her, her curiosity got the better of her. As they walked back towards the castle, she couldn't help blurting out, "What's up with you today? You're much less off-putting than usual."

Unsurprisingly, he countered her question with one of his own. "What about you? Earlier you looked like a kicked Kneazle."

"Don't know why you're reading that much into it when I was only zoned out for a bit out of boredom. And don't think I didn't notice that you avoided answering my question. Well, whatever your reason is, if you'd just open yourself up to people more often, I'm sure they'll see you're not so bad a bloke."

"Not _so_ bad?"

"Well, duh. You're so uptight most of the time. It's hard to talk to someone who gives only one word answers. Plus, who would want to hang out with someone who studies _all_ the time?"

"I feel no need to pander to anyone."

That was certainly true. In general, he hung out with no one on a daily basis and often took meals on his own, skipping the din of the Great Hall altogether. While that at first seemed a sad state of affair to her, the more she watched him, the more she began to realize that Scorpius Malfoy didn't carry himself like a loner to be pitied, but that his isolation was self-willed. He set himself apart from the crowd in a quietly superior way. Despite the constant barrage of pranks and whispers that followed him, she often wondered if he hadn't something big in mind and would get the last laugh after all. But still…

"And," he added, "Unlike _some_ people, I'm not starved for attention."

She crossed her arms indignantly. "Hey, just because I'm not a social recluse like you doesn't mean I'm starved for attention."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Well, what about you? Your superior act might fool everyone, but don't your ever feel lonely?"

There was fat chance of him answering her directly, but she watched his face to catch whatever fleeting emotions it might betray. He kept his eyes glued resolutely ahead, but there was a tightness to his jaw that tugged at her insides.

However, his tone remained predictably blasé. "Why would I? Loneliness is the desiring of company, and I hardly have the patience or time for the fools who go here."

"You hardly know anyone well enough to dismiss them all like that. Didn't your parents teach you not to judge a book by its cover?"

"On the contrary, I was taught to read facades well. It saves you a lot more time and effort."

"But how much of that have you actually done versus just writing everyone off? You really think there's absolutely no one in this school who's worth knowing? Not a single person?" With all the hostility he faced from time to time, she guessed it was somewhat understandable, but it was still a rather extreme stance to take.

"What about you? With everything you catalogued just now, obviously you don't have the most positive view of me, so why are you bothering with me at all? Honestly, what are you playing at?"

Telling the truth was definitely out of the question if she didn't want him to implode. With two older brothers and countless boy cousins, she knew how fragile male egos could be. "Why do I have to be playing at anything? What's wrong with wanting to get to know a fellow House and teammate?"

"Getting to know?" He gave a bark of sarcastic laughter. "So your approach to getting to know someone is to stalk them at every waking minute? It's getting to be a bit creepy to be honest. Come on, Potter, I'm not an idiot, and I'm this close to reporting you to our Head of House. Out with it. What's your deal?"

Crap. What if they ended up putting some sort of restraining order on her? Could they do that? But she was _so_ close. _Quick. Think. _What would get Malfoy to accept her act?_ Maybe…no, __a partial truth would have to do. _

She rushed to explain. "So my approach was a bit out of the norm, but you only have yourself to blame for that. You don't make it very easy for anyone to approach you, alright? I just thought that if we knew each other a bit better, we might just play better together. The Championship match is just around the bend, and I want to do everything to improve our chances of winning this year."

He looked at her with an incredulous raise of both eyebrows. "So that's it? That's the reason to your madness? Why in Salazar's name didn't you just say so from the start?"

In truth, that approach hadn't crossed her mind, but then again, this was Malfoy she was talking about. "Would you have agreed? You, who was constantly telling me to go away every time I tried to strike up a conversation with you?"

For a moment he closed his eyes as he racked a hand through his mussed hair before catching her gaze again. "Look, I'm not very trusting of people."

She snorted. "That's an understatement." When his mouth stretched into a grim line, she sighed and added, "But it's understandable why you wouldn't be."

"No kidding," he muttered. They walked for several more feet in silence before he spoke again.

"Sorry," he finally breathed out.

She turned her head to face him, but he kept his eyes focused ahead.

"Father's right of course. I need to stop making enemies out of everyone."

"That's sound advice right there. Really, Malfoy, why would you make life more difficult for yourself? Having allies hardly means accepting weakness."

"So that's what we are? Allies?"

"Obviously. We're in the same House, same Quidditch team. Our biggest rival is the House that has my older brothers. I don't know why people kept thinking I would betray my own House and team. Like I'm going to roll over and let everything go in my brothers' favor. I have years of teasing to pay them back for, especially James."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm certain you had all the Slytherins fully convinced by your second year when you tried to smash a Bludger towards your brother _after _the game was already over."

She grimaced. That definitely hadn't been one of her finer moments as it had nearly gotten her suspended from Quidditch. Though she still thought James had been asking for it by acting so obnoxious after his win over her team.

"From the way you talk, you don't seem to have the most loving relationship with your brothers. Not so much the big happy family the media paints the Potters out to be, eh?"

She shook her head. "l love them, of course. They're family after all, but they are awfully stifling at times. I often wish I had a younger sister so that some of the attention could be diverted to her."

"You say that, but I bet if you actually had one, you'd wish the situation was reversed."

"Trust me. It's not the sort of attention I'd mind giving away. I can't even imagine how awful it would've been if I'd ended up in the same House as my brothers, giving them even more of an opportunity to keep an eye on me 'for my own good'."

"So I can see why you didn't want to end up in Gryffindor, but how did you get sorted into Slytherin? That was a bit of a..."

She laughed. "A shocker? It came as a surprise to me too when the Sorting Hat suggested that it'd be a good fit for me, but then it hit me just how perfect that arrangement would be."

"How so?"

"What House would be better for going head to head with my brothers?"

"You seem rather obsessed with competing with them."

"You're an only child, so you wouldn't understand what it's like to be overshadowed by your older siblings all your life. I wanted a chance to be able to stand out on my own."

"In other words, you're starved for attention just as I said."

"I'm not! There's a big difference."

He was too occupied with laughing to respond. Come to think of it, had she ever heard him laugh before today? It was a raucous, hearty sound so at odds with the quiet, serious boy he usually was.

Never judge a book by its cover. She too had yet to take that lesson to heart.

When his laughter died off, silence reigned again. This time, it didn't feel nearly as awkward.

"You're wrong by the way," he said when they were a few feet from the doors into the Great Hall. "I do understand. I know what it's like, living in a shadow that you're perpetually trying to overcome."

Before she could respond in anyway, the doors opened, and they were swallowed up by the chaos of mealtime. When they sat down at the Slytherin table, Malfoy was once again his taciturn self, but she knew better now, and it made her all the more curious. _What other sides are there to you, Scorpius Malfoy?_ _Just what more would you reveal about yourself if you came to trust me?_

* * *

**Author Notes: **Hoped you enjoyed the second chapter. Do let me know what you thought of it! :) As always a big thank you to cherryredxx for the beta-reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**-Chapter 3-**

"Okay, fess up, Miss Potter."

"Yeah, fess up, Lily."

"There's something going on between you and Malfoy isn't there? Lying is useless."

"We totally saw you two canoodling on your way back from the pitch."

"How was that broom ride? Do tell."

Lily rolled her eyes at the hysterical laughter that broke out. She'd been looking forward to simply passing out for the night after an exhausting day. Instead, she found herself interrogated by a mob of giggly Slytherin girls.

"Oh yes, discussions about Quidditch strategies are so overly romantic," she quipped as she brushed her hair out for the night.

"Well your 'strategy meetings' must be pretty _intense_ as they seem to go on all day long." More bursts of giggles followed, which she chose to steadfastly ignore.

"I'm a little hurt, Lily. You never have time for us anymore. Always off with your boy. Didn't you use to lecture us about that? Hypocrite."

"First off, he's not my anything. Secondly, you all want Slytherin to win don't you? Bear with it for a week more girls, and I promise I'll be all yours."

"So you're just using him for Quidditch? How cruel. I didn't think you had it in you."

She brandished her brush threateningly, and the girl in question squealed and dove behind a bed before bursting into laughter again.

"If you all insist on talking nonsense, I can't guarantee your eyebrows will be there in the morning," she warned.

Amidst the renewed giggling, several held up their hands in placation. "Okay, okay. We're just playing, Lily, but how did you do it?"

"Yeah? How did you manage to crack the Ice Prince?"

"Crack him?"

"He actually talks to you."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at her roommates. "And how many of you have actually tried talking to him?"

"Yeah like once. He's frigid to everyone."

She shrugged. "Well we have Quidditch in common, and that's pretty much all we discuss." That wasn't strictly the case, but going into details wasn't going to get them to let her sleep anytime soon. She also didn't need to fuel the already raging rumors. It was ridiculous.

"But is it really alright for you to be so close to him?"

"We're just teammates, for goodness sake. Why wouldn't it be alright?"

"What would your family think?"

"It's nothing they would concern themselves with. That's just silly."

"But what about all those accusations flying around, Lily?"

She paused in the midst of unbuttoning her blouse. "What accusations?"

"You obviously don't read the Prophet. Malfoy's father is under investigation for some really Dark stuff."

"Yeah, so Dark it's all still crazily classified. They're unable to reveal any details."

With a yawn, Lily finished slipping on her pajama bottoms and responded tiredly, "That happens all the time. Some people just can't let go. They try to find a way to implicate the Malfoys every couple of years, and nothing ever comes of it. It's gotten to the point that my dad rolls his eyes every time a new anonymous owl comes in."

"You're awfully defensive of them. What makes you so confident?"

"Luuurve of course." The room erupted with laughter.

"Oh shut it," she hissed exasperatedly. "It's called evidence and logic, you brats, which you are all proving to sorely lack. Come on. The Malfoys know they'll always be under suspicion. What would they possibly have to gain by getting themselves involved in criminal matters all over again? They certainly don't need the money."

"I don't know about that. Does evil ever need a reason?"

"This is pointless. I'm going to sleep," she announced to the room before firmly shutting her bed curtains. _Honestly._They were almost as bad as her brothers.

As she closed her eyes, the events of the past couple weeks replayed in her mind. She found herself dwelling particularly on her exchanges with Malfoy. She'd gone into this merely expecting to keep Malfoy out of trouble, even if it went against his own will, but now there was something resembling camaraderie surprisingly growing between them. Strange how that worked out.

They talked more often now, though his schedule remained as dreadfully dull as always, vacillating solely between studies, meals, and Quidditch practices.

"Why on earth do you study so much?" she'd asked in exasperation earlier that evening when he'd once again headed straight to the library after dinner. No wonder he and Rose were constantly see-sawing between the top and second-place of their class. You would have to be dumb as a troll to spend so much time with your nose in a book and not do exceedingly well in school. "Come on, Malfoy, live a little."

"Pretty sure I'm alive right now."

"Har har. You're a riot, but seriously. You're even reading supplementary materials outside of required course books. I bet you could go without studying another minute and still ace the year-end exams. Why put in all the extra effort, or are you as obsessed with the number one spot as Rose is? Let me tell you now that that would be pretty pathetic."

He smiled smugly at her. "It's always easy to mock what you have no chance of ever accomplishing."

"Tch. You don't know what I'm capable of if I only cared to."

He laughed. "No, I couldn't care less about the rankings. I just have a goal I want to accomplish, and I can't afford to slip up."

"You're not going to tell me what that goal is, are you? Bloody tease."

He laughed again, which he was doing much more often now, sending a jolt through her every time. She supposed she was still getting used to this other side of the normally serious boy.

"Well if it's any consolation, it's a goal my parents don't even know about."

She scrunched her eyebrows in irritation. "Stop it already. If you're not going to tell me, stop providing me with details. Now I'm dying to know what it is, knowing it's something that your parents wouldn't approve of."

His reply was only to chuckle some more.

After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "Is Quidditch in your future at all? You obviously love it, and you definitely have the talent for it."

He shook his head. "Not beyond school. I just won't have time for it." There was an unmistakable wishful tone to his voice that made her all the more curious what he had planned. What was he prioritizing over Quidditch—something that he was clearly as passionate about as she was?

"You want to play professionally, don't you?" he asked.

"That's the plan, but who knows if I'll make any of the trials."

"Oh come off it. You're Harry Potter's daughter, _and_ your mother used to play for the Holyhead Harpies. What team wouldn't be tripping over themselves to have you? You'd be worth millions of Galleons in endorsement deals alone—not to mention all the free publicity you'd bring to the team."

"No, thank you," she said in a huff. "I'll get in on my own merits or not at all."

There was approval glimmering in his gaze that made her feel strangely happy.

"That's commendable," he said, "but how are you going to make sure that's the case?"

"Polyjuice of course."

For a fleeting moment, his expression darkened before clearing up again. She watched him, curious as to why, but his voice continued the conversation as though there were nothing amiss. "So you'll risk being disqualified on the grounds of fraud?"

She shrugged. "I'll explain it. I'm sure they'll understand. Or the money starts talking for them. Either way, what matters is that in looking back, I'll _know_ I was accepted before people knew who I was."

He nodded, and by then they'd arrived at the library's entrance. Before opening the doors, he turned and quirked an eyebrow at her. "So why have you been forcing yourself to accompany me if you find all my studying such a chore? It's not like watching me do homework is going to improve our Quidditch game."

Her reply was prompt, having prepared for his further inquiry, and best of all, it wasn't really even a lie. "Well you're wrong about that. First off, how else will I get a chance to get to know you better if I don't join you in what you're occupied with ninety percent of the time? Secondly, didn't you sense it at practice earlier? We have a better sense of where the other is on the pitch now, and I think it's from spending all this time together. So for the sake of Quidditch, I guess I can put up with this nauseating level of studying."

"Indeed, the sacrifices you make for Quidditch," he said with a slight frown.

She wanted to know why he didn't seem too happy right then, but with the way he was pushing ahead into the library, she knew he didn't want her to pry further. By now, she'd learned well that nothing would be gained from her attempts to do so except having to deal with a sullen blond the rest of the evening, and so she reigned in her curiosity and let the study session proceed as usual with little talking involved. There was, however, one obvious difference. Though she only caught him at it once, she was sure that Malfoy was periodically watching her as she often watched him.

Staring at the dark canopy overhead, Lily still wasn't sure what to make of all that had transpired with Malfoy. She'd learned a lot about him in these last few weeks, but in many ways, he remained as enigmatic as ever.

The memory of their shared flight several days ago made a particularly strong return as she drifted into sleep. The smell of wood varnish on her fingertips. The sting of the wind. The strands of white-blond hair whipping across bright grey eyes. His laugh...

_You're wrong…I do understand._

_I'm not so trusting of people._

_Ah, but you shouldn't be either._

_Foolish girl._

_..._

She woke with a start, heart pounding, forehead drenched with sweat.

With her first conscious breath, her dream had already begun to elude her. She couldn't recall anything more than the sensation of a cold darkness crowding her in. Nightmares were a rare occurrence for Lily, even when she was a little girl, which made her wonder what had triggered the one tonight.

After taking several deep breaths, she tried unsuccessfully to go back to sleep. There was a tightness to her chest, an uneasy feeling.

She pulled back the bed curtains to check the time. The clock indicated it was two in the morning. _Just great. _

After several more minutes of fitful tossing, she gave up on sleep altogether. Instead, Lily grabbed her school bag and made her way to the common room with careful creeping steps so as not to wake her roommates. She hoped that a short reading by the fire would get her properly drowsy again.

On her way to the armchair by the fireplace, she collided with something solid and tumbled forward, her bag and its contents sent flying.

"Bloody hell," she hissed before opening her eyes to the most disorienting sight of herself lying on empty air, several inches off the ground. Recognition followed a split second later. Promptly, she reached out to grasp the invisible material firmly in her hand before yanking it back.

"Malfoy?"

A mere inch away, shocked grey eyes stared back at her and then relaxed as if with relief.

"What are you doing up?" he asked in a bizarrely conversational tone.

"What are _you_ doing up? And with an Invisibility Cloak to boot."

"Couldn't sleep. You too?"

"Doesn't explain the Invisibility Cloak."

"How else would you wander around and not get caught? Well I suppose there are charms too, but a Cloak is more dependable. By the way, it'll be much easier to have this interrogation if you would please get off me."

"Uh, right." She moved to hurriedly scramble out of the awkward position and ended up slipping, falling back onto him, and banging her forehead against his chin before finally managing to get up.

"Sweet Salazar. Trying to kill me, Potter?" he said with a wince before pulling himself into a sitting position.

She ignored her own throbbing pain as her mind rushed forward with the implications of finding him here. "Best be honest with me, Malfoy, or you can kiss your Invisibility Cloak goodbye. I'm pretty sure possessing one is against school rules. So spill it. What were you really up to?"

His lips tilted in a smug smile. "Never be an interrogator. Your bluffing skills are atrocious. First off, you're not going to tell on me because then I might get suspended from playing in that upcoming match you're dying to win."

"I can still do it after the game is over, smart arse."

He shook his head, his mouth stretching into a knowing grin. "Even then you won't because you want the chance to be able to borrow the Cloak from time to time. You don't need to tell me. I know I'm right."

He was, of course. Damn him.

"Awfully suspicious of me, aren't you? What did you think I was up to?" His tone remained light, but he was looking at her with hardened eyes.

In regards to his outing tonight, there was only one thing she was worried about. Now that he sort of understood her motive, it might just be the time to appeal to him about it.

Kneeling across from him, she reached out with both her hands to grip his shoulders tightly. "Malfoy, I know Perkins and Co. deserve it, but _please_ hold off on any revenge plans until after the game. One false step or a single professor in an unforgiving mood, and we're done for. I'm not one to beg, but I'm doing just that. I'll even help you devise and execute the most spectacular revenge _ever_—I'm talking full access to my uncle's treasure trove of prank products still in testing. Just not now. Just wait one more week. Can you promise me that? If you were setting something up tonight, just hold off on it. I pray to Merlin you weren't seen."

He gave a short burst of incredulous laughter, his eyes alight. "That's what you were worried about? I've already learned my lesson years ago, Potter. I'm not stupid."

"You stopped with the outward retributions alright, but it's not like you went all benevolent and decided to let them go scot-free every time. Your revenges are much more subtle these days, but they're hardly foolproof. The risk of you being caught is lower, but I'd rather not take _any_ chances at all, so I'm asking that you please, please refrain for a little longer."

"This match means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"You have no idea."

"Actually, I think I do. Anyway, fine, you have my word that there will be no revenge sought until there's no chance it can affect the upcoming match. Satisfied?"

She nodded with a yawn, exhaustion overtaking her again. "I think I can sleep now."

He chuckled and leaned to help her put her spilled things back into her bag before bidding her goodnight.

It was easier this time to fall back to sleep, but still, a shadow of that uneasy feeling remained.

* * *

**Author Notes:** As always, please do let me know what you thought of the chapter. Thank you to cherryredxx for the beta-reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**-Chapter 4-**

"Lily, wake up!"

"Something's happened."

"Something big. Prefects apparently were given the order to round us all up. Meeting in the common room."

Lily opened bleary eyes, her sleep-drugged mind struggling to make sense of the lightning-paced chatter around her. Like a rag doll, she let herself be tugged to her feet and pulled along.

When they arrived at the common room, she slumped like a dead weight into the nearest available seat.

Through heavy-lidded eyes struggling to stay open, she caught sight of Malfoy across the way, leaning against the stone wall by the extinguished fireplace.

_He probably got the same amount of sleep I did. How the hell does he still look so alert and put together? It's bloody unfair._

"Attention, everyone. Quiet down please," came the voice of Amelia, their seventh-year prefect. "We have unfortunate news to report. There was an incident last night which has led to three students being rushed to St. Mungo's this morning. Preliminary assessments found dredges of a class of banned poisons in a wine bottle that the boys were believed to have drunk last night."

The words slapped her awake like a bucket of ice water. Around her, sharp intakes of breaths and fierce whisperings rippled through the room before everyone hushed once more, in part at the Prefects' behest, as well as out of their morbid curiosity to find out more.

"Please remain calm as the matter is being heavily investigated. It was likely an isolated incident as a result of some vendetta between two parties, but as a precaution for the time being, please be wary of any suspicious food or drink items that you may receive outside of meal times. Your parents and guardians have been informed of the situation. I expect many of you will get an owl from them shortly—"

"Who was poisoned?" Lily cut in and held her breath, her mind having already made the leap that she willed reality to refute. _It couldn't be._

"They were three sixth-year boys: Andrew Pike, Gilbert Lovell, and Alan Perkins."

The relief that her brothers and cousins were not among the victims was quickly overwhelmed by another realization. _Pike, Lovell, and Perkins._ All Gryffindors. All part of the usual crew with a beef against Malfoy.

_No._A coincidence surely. Even if Malfoy's words last night weren't to be trusted, she'd never seen him carry out revenge to that malicious a degree.

The other seventh-year prefect, Wilkins, was now speaking. "Given that they were all from Gryffindor, and given the rivalry between our two houses, you probably already know where much of the suspicion will be cast."

More than one pair of eyes flitted over to Malfoy. He stared defiantly back until they cowered and looked away. She, too, caught his gaze, but with neither suspicion nor accusation in her eyes—only a simple question. _Did you do it?_

He stared back at her for a brief moment before answering with a barely perceptible shake of his head. By now, she considered herself somewhat adept at reading his more subtle emotions, and what his eyes showed to her at that moment was an openness she rarely got to see. Lily read the truth in them, weighed against the other facts she knew about him, and let go of another breath in relief.

"Please keep your heads cool and refrain from fueling any altercations that may arise," said Amelia. "Additionally, if anyone knows anything at all about the incident, please report to a Hogwarts staff member immediately. Classes are canceled for the day, but you are to remain within the castle as a precaution. I'll stay back to field any other questions you may have, but everyone may head down to breakfast now, if you wish."

On any other day, her priorities would've been sleep foremost of all, but Lily knew she wasn't likely able to go back to sleep. Gryffindors had been the target of the poisoning attempt, and on the chance it _wasn't_ an isolated event, she worried for the rest of her family in Gryffindor. She knew they would certainly be looking out for each other but wished there was something more she could do to assure herself of their safety.

"You're worried, aren't you?" spoke a voice close to her ear—Malfoy's. She spun in her seat to face him, but before she could get a word out, the voice of Professor Slughorn cut across the room, sounding uncharacteristically grim.

"All sixth-year boys, please report to my office immediately."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant.

"What could they possibly have to implicate you?" she whispered urgently, wary of the eyes watching them.

"Do they even need anything?" he asked bitterly before following their Head of House out of the room.

She waited for no more than a few seconds, deliberating with herself before rushing to get dressed and dashing off to Slughorn's office.

The corridor was empty by the time she arrived. Lily paced impatiently back and forth before the closed door without a concrete idea of what she'd hoped to do by coming here. She knew Malfoy had been on the receiving end of false accusations before, and it irked her that he may never escape from the grudges towards his family that he'd unfairly inherited. She'd suspected they were the shadows he'd spoken of. How pale hers were in comparison.

An age and a half crawled agonizingly past until finally, the door opened and out trooped the sixth-year Slytherin boys. Several raised their eyebrows at her, but she ignored them as she searched for Malfoy. The door closed again, and Malfoy had not appeared.

She seized the nearest boy, who happened to be Lyon, a fellow Beater on the Slytherin team.

"Where's Malfoy?"

Lyon shook his head. "He was held back for further questioning. It doesn't look good, Potter. Someone tipped them off about Malfoy being involved. They didn't tell us who, but wanted to ask us if we knew of Malfoy's whereabouts last night."

_Shite._

"And? What did you guys tell them?"

"The truth. Malfoy wasn't in the dorm last night. We only knew because Bailey told us. He was having trouble sleeping. Since there was supposed to be a major Transfiguration test this morning, and with him on the cusp of failing the class again, he risked troubling Malfoy for a vial from his stash of Sleeping Draughts, but when he pulled back the bed curtains, Malfoy wasn't there or in the bathroom or in the common room."

No. Short of finding direct evidence, things couldn't look worse for Malfoy.

Lyon shrugged. "I don't know why you've started hanging around him lately, Potter, but this latest incident just proves it—you'd best stay away from him if you know what's good for you." With that, he turned down the hall after the rest of the boys as a strange hollow feeling settled in Lily's stomach.

Now more than ever, it was apparent to her why Malfoy was so frigid with everyone—they were never willing to give him a chance in the first place.

* * *

**Author Notes:** This chapter is much shorter than I usually aim for, but the better cut-off was here. Shouldn't be too long before the next update. Thanks again to cherryredxx for the beta-reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**-Chapter 5-**

Lily wasn't sure how long she waited—long enough at least for her to grow tired of pacing. Instead, she settled for slumping against the wall by Slughorn's office.

More torturous minutes inched past until finally, Malfoy emerged, the door slamming shut behind him. She could tell from the rigid set of his shoulders that he was furious, but then he closed his eyes, tilting his head back, and in that instant, she'd never seen him look so defeated.

"Hey," she called out softly as she stepped forward from the wall.

He snapped to attention and spun to face her. For a fleeting moment, a most incredulous expression lit up his face before he swiftly subdued his features into an impassive mask.

"So what's going to happen?" she asked cautiously.

His lips stretched into a bitter smile. "Sorry, looks like you'll have to win that match without me."

"What?" Truthfully, Quidditch had been a mile away in her thoughts. It was the implications of his words that preoccupied her.

"I won't be there. Instead, I'm to attend a hearing at the Ministry this Saturday, and I'll be under a professor's constant watch until then. They've even sicced a bloody Tracking Charm on me. I can't even leave right now until Slughorn is done."

She hadn't thought it could've been that serious. "But you didn't do anything! What evidence do they have but a circumstantial one? I doubt you were the only student last night who was about the castle after curfew."

"You actually believe me?" He sounded equally surprised and skeptical.

She stared at him, an eyebrow cocked in exasperation. "Would I be here if I didn't? Even if I couldn't fully trust you to tell the truth, I know how you operate, Malfoy. This was a line you would've never crossed, and even _if_ you were to, the execution is much too sloppy. You're way too smart to have used a traceable poison and leave evidence at the scene, for Merlin's sake."

The usual hard glints of his grey eyes softened with mingled astonishment and something else altogether that struck her down to her toes. Lily couldn't hold his gaze and instead, shifted her eyes to the closed door. She glared at it as if she could transfer her irritation through to the adults beyond.

Malfoy called her attention again with a bark of disbelieving laughter. "I'm glad someone here still has their wits about them." After a brief pause in which he made her uncomfortable again with his penetrating stare, he said quietly, "Thank you, Potter, and I'm sorry I can't help you with that final game. You'll just have to win it for the both of us."

_No._ She didn't go through all the trouble these last few weeks only to now have suspicious old witches and wizards with their dumb prejudices ruin it for her. But it was more than that. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure she'd be able to concentrate on the game at all knowing what Malfoy would be facing come Saturday. _Think, Lily, think._ As an idea took hold, she cast a _Muffliato_ as a precaution.

"Oh Merlin, what are you planning?"

Had the circumstances been less serious, she would have burst out laughing at the wariness in his voice. "Malfoy, the only thing they have on you that even remotely connects you to the poisoning attempt is you being out of bed last night, right?"

He nodded with narrowed eyes, trying to puzzle out where she was headed.

"And what did you tell them in your defense when they asked what you were up to?"

Grim lines gridded his face again. He spoke through gritted teeth, each word dropping with venom. "I told them I would say nothing without my family's barrister present aside from the fact that I was in no way involved with the incident. They didn't believe me obviously."

She rubbed her hands together almost giddily. "Oh good."

"_Good?_"

"This will work out perfectly. Listen, I'm going to vouch for you and wipe away that sole piece of circumstantial evidence they have. Just play along and make it convincing."

"Earth to Potter. You're not making any sense, as usual."

"It makes perfect sense. I'll just say you were with me, which isn't even a full on lie as I did see you last night."

"Yes, but what about the rest of the time I was out?"

"You're supposed to be a cunning Slytherin here. Come on now. Obviously, we have to stretch the truth a bit." However, before she could explain her plan further, the office door opened, revealing the tall, thin form of Professor Longbottom.

"Lily?" he asked in surprise.

Startled, she scrambled to pull her wits together. _Here goes nothing._"Uh hi, Professor. I have some important information regarding the recent incident, or more specifically, regarding S-Scorpius' supposed involvement that I'd like to share." She berated herself for nearly fumbling the name, tripping over the unfamiliarity of it on her own tongue, but the use of it was necessary to help pull off her coming lies.

Professor Longbottom's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he merely said, "Well, by all means, come in and tell us what you know."

As Malfoy stepped in beside her, she heard him mutter irritably under his breath—something akin to "You're bloody mad". As usual, he was probably angry at her for meddling in his affairs. She could only hope that he would cooperate, however reluctantly.

Inside the office, Headmistress McGonagall along with Slughorn and Goodwin, their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the year, were seated around the large conference table that was normally the setting for meetings of a much less serious nature. At the sight of her, they looked as surprised as Professor Longbottom had been and widened their eyes even further when he informed them of why she'd come.

Without any further prompting from the adults, Lily launched immediately into her story with every drop of conviction she could muster. "With all due respect, Headmistress, your suspicions of Scorpius are plain off the mark. He had nothing to do with it. Even though his absence from the dorms last night may seem suspicious, I can promise you that it had nothing to do with the incident."

"And how are you able to confidently make this claim, Miss Potter?"

"Because he was with me, Headmistress." She hadn't anticipated it being so awkward to say aloud or for the blush to come so easily.

Relief warred with disapproval on the Headmistress' face in a comical manner. Both Professor Longbottom and Slughorn appeared to be struggling to restrain their amusement.

But it was Professor Goodwin who spoke next with a questioning, suspicious raise of his eyebrow. "I did not realize you two were so…close. Forgive me, but given your family's history with each other, that comes as rather surprising."

She countered his challenge with a brazen stare. "So was me getting into Slytherin. Is it really so surprising? We're not our parents, Professor, and I think you would hope that we do not carry our parents' biases with us, nor would it be fair for you to judge us based on who our parents are." She'd tailored her words to be an echo of McGonagall's yearly welcome speech, hoping it would help to convince them. To her right, she felt Malfoy staring a hole into her brain.

McGonagall seemed appalled. "I do not know what has led you to think so, but rest assured, Miss Potter, that we have better judgment than that."

However, the doubtful glint in Professor Goodwin's eyes had yet to disappear. "Why did you not tell us the truth to begin with, Mr. Malfoy?"

Having prepared for this cross-examination, Lily replied without hesitation, "If I may answer, Professor, as it has to do with me." She took an audible breath as if it took her enormous effort just to keep going. "We'd…we'd agreed to keep our relationship a secret. I'm sure the reasons why won't come as a surprise to any of you, given who our families are. Anyhow, Scorpius didn't want to get me into trouble just to save himself. Surely you can't fault him for having acted so—so honorably for my sake." She snuck a glance at Malfoy to gauge his reaction and found him staring back at her, eyes wide with shock. _Just play along_, she willed at him.

"You both ought to give your family more credit," said McGonagall with a frown.

Professor Slughorn chuckled. "Ah the foolishness of youth. Didn't think you had it in you, young Malfoy, to take the blame for a most serious crime all for your dear lady."

_Dear lady?_ She nearly choked. It was a testament to Malfoy's control that his response was to merely remain impassive.

To her exasperation, Goodwin was still obstinately skeptical. "Mr. Malfoy, you honestly thought that the fallout from your relationship being revealed would be worse than being implicated in attempted murder?"

Malfoy shrugged as if he couldn't care less. "The truth would have come out eventually in my favor. It would have been a private hearing as I am still a minor, and the only fact relevant to the Wizengamot that would have been made public was whether or not I was involved with the incident."

She couldn't have said it better. _Thank Merlin, he's a quick thinker. _For good measure, she added, "Of course when I found out what he did, I called him an idiot and wasn't about to let him go through all of that just for me."

"I would still rather you stay out of it," Malfoy muttered.

Of course he'd be stubborn to the last. She mentally sighed and pushed on. "But now that we've explained ourselves, he's in the clear, right?"

McGonagall nodded. "That is as it should be. I apologize for the trouble, Mr. Malfoy, but I hope you can understand that, given the severity of the incident, for the good of everyone we had to follow up on any possible lead."

Her insides soared with triumph until McGonagall's next words sent them crashing back down.

"There is, however, the matter of you both having been out after hours."

_Drat._ Not that she had really expected to get away from this scot-free.

McGonagall looked them over with her characteristic stern gaze, the one that could drive fear into the hearts of even seventh-years. "Since this is your first _known_ infraction of the nature, be grateful that I'm only handling out a single detention for the both of you. You'll be serving it with Professor Slughorn, and let me warn you that we won't be so lenient the second time."

Lily fought to keep from grinning as Professor Slughorn arranged a date and time for their detention.

With everything set, they were about to leave when Goodwin spoke again, leveling an even gaze in their direction. "Your house will have to thank you, Miss Potter. How fortunate that you were able to clear your boyfriend's name in time for the final Quidditch match. Try to stay out of trouble until then, you two. I've seen you both play, and it would be a terrible loss to your team to finish the season without either of you."

She nodded, trying hard not to squirm or tremble under his scrutinizing stare.

When the office door closed behind them, Lily let loose with a whoop of triumph. Malfoy, however, didn't look exactly pleased.

She pulled him down the hall a ways before asking in exasperation, "What's the matter now? I thought that went positively swell."

He shrugged off her hand around his arm and reached up to pinch his nose. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Yeah, I just saved your arse again _and _Slytherin's chance at the Quidditch cup. Some gratitude on your part would be nice. And let me remind you that you went along with it."

He threw both hands up in frustration. "Like you gave me a choice. It was that or dig a deeper mess for the both of us if I had contradicted you." Settling his hands back at his sides, he sighed and gave her a once-over. "I'd always thought the Sorting Hat's enchantment must have been out of sorts for you to have been sorted into Slytherin, but now I know you're Slytherin through and through. You'll use any means to get what you want, don't you?"

_Where was he going with this?_ "I don't give up easily, if that's what you mean. What are you getting at, Malfoy?"

Annoyance flashed through his eyes. "Back to Malfoy now, _Lily_? I'm afraid not. You see, the means we choose have consequences. Though I have a feeling you probably haven't thought them through. That rashness is undoubtedly from the Gryffindor in you."

With each word, he edged closer into her personal space. Flustered, she took a step back and then another. What was going on with him? Had she managed to somehow royally piss him off? Why the hell was she feeling so nervous, anyway? It wasn't like she was _afraid_ of him. Heck no.

Pushing aside her inexplicable agitation, she stopped retreating and even leaned forward to crowd _his_ space.

"Mal—"

"Nope." He cut her off with the firm pressure of his pointer finger against her lips. Her flurry of nerves returned full force at the same time her brain seemed to have short-circuited, leaving her without a clue as to how to proceed. "You went and built a façade just now, _Lily_. Do you even realize the work it's going to entail to maintain it?"

She pushed his hand away and stepped back to gather her wits for the second time that day. "What's your problem, _Scorpius_? Are you that worried about being found out? I guess you have a point that we need to maintain the lie a little longer, but the rumor mill has already gotten us ninety percent of the way there. Not like we'll have to put in that much effort to get people to believe us."

"Confirmation is a whole other beast than rumors. Do you really think all McGonagall will do is issue us a detention?"

"Oh no."

"Oh yes. I take it your mother's Howlers are nothing to scoff at as well?"

"Someone just kill me now." The coming mortification was unthinkable.

"You only have yourself to blame, and that's not all. Once the Howlers confirm everyone's suspicions, did you think they'd just forget about us and move on? Perkins remains stupidly suspicious. If the students start talking, he'll be breathing down our necks in no time."

"Fine. I get your point. They'll be watching us more than ever. So? We'll just have to play it up for a little while."

A contemplative look overcame his eyes that made her wary. "You make it sound like it's nothing to you. I wonder…just how far are you willing to go, Lil-ly?"

He was crowding her space again. She forced herself to stand her ground.

"I already said I'd do whatever it takes."

"But do you actually _know_ what it'd take?"

"Well, obviously. It's not like I never had a boyfriend before. There's us using first names for one, Scor-pi-us." She smirked as another idea occurred to her. "Give me a few minutes, and I'll even come up with a lovely pet name for you."

He paused in his advance and blanched. "Don't you dare."

"Chickening out already, honey-bear?"

"Have some dignity. Besides, pet names are hardly a requisite of couple-hood, but do you know what else is?" A sly grin she'd never seen before graced his lips.

Two could play at this game. "You mean this?" She sidled up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, smirking in satisfaction when she felt him stiffen. "You're all talk, Scorpius."

But in a flash, he'd recovered and spun her around to face him, his hands laced at her lower back so that his arms caged her in. It was her turn to become paralyzed with those grey eyes of his but a mere inch from hers as he leaned down.

"Actually, I meant this," he said, and before she could even process his words, his mouth came down on hers, and she lost all ability to think.

* * *

**Author Notes: **

Well that update wasn't supposed to take nearly so long. Sorry about that! I found a new beta and my old beta also came back to fanfiction, so yay, it shouldn't be ages again before the next update. Hope you haven't forgotten about this story and hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Drop me a note and let me know?

And thank you, Anise, for beta-reading this chapter.


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